Seismic exploration with control of directional sensitivity



Nov. 25, 194?. v A. WOLF 2,431,600

SEISMIC EXPLORATION WITH CONTROL OF DIRECTIONAL SENSITIVITY Filed April 20, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 SHOT POINT FIG. 2 7% SHOT If POINT Nov. 25, 1947. A. WOLF SEISMIC EXPLORATION WITH CONTROL OF DIRECTIONAL SENSITIVITY Filed April 20, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN ENTOR ALEXANDER wouii 12 ii N N J I Patented Nov. 25, 1947 SEISMIC EXPLORATION WITH CONTROL OF DIRECTIONAL SENSITIVITY Alexander Wolf, Houston,

Tex., assignor to Texaco Development Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application April 20, 1943, Serial No. 483,750

1 Claim. (Cl. 177-352) This invention relates to seismic exploration of the earth and more particularly to a method and a means for controlling the sensitivity of the recording apparatus so as to eliminate seismic waves reflected from substantially horizontal beds without affecting the sensitivity to waves propagated at an angle to the vertical, such as reflections from steeply dipping formations.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a seismic exploration system which discriminates against waves reflected from horizontal or gently dipping beds.

In the detailing of salt domes in the Gulf Coast region great difficulty has been experienced in obtaining and recording reflections from the sharply upturned beds in the close vicinity of a dome because the records consist largely of a series of reflections from the more or less flat lying beds away from the dome and under the shot point. Similar difliculties have been frequently encountered in detailing some of the steep anticlines, such as exist in California. Many instances have been found where refiections from different beds are superimposed on the same portion 01 a seismogram and this may occur wherever the array of reflecting beds is bent sharply upward, such as is commonly the case on the flanks of steep anticlines or salt domes. When a seismic wave detector is positioned at the surface of the earth above a substantially flat portion of a bed which bends steeply upwardly toward the surface, waves reflected from the horizontal portion of the bed may arrive at the detector at substantially the same time as the reflections from points on the inclined portion of the bed since the distance from the detector to the horizontal portion may be about the same as that from the detector to the sloping portion. Seismic reflection records obtained under these conditions are frequently so complicated by this superimposition of reflections that is difllcult, if not impossible, to distinguish the various reflections.

In accordance with the invention, a pair of seismic detectors of the electrical type is placed along the surface of the earth in alignment with the shot point and these detectors are separated from each other by a distance of say 150 feet. The detectors are connected to an indicating or a recording device, such as a recording galvanometer, either directly or through an amplifier in such a manner that the outputs of the detectors are in opposition. In this manner the difference in the output of the detectors is recorded; waves reflected from a horizontal formation strike the detectors at about the same time so that the net output of the detectors is zero, while a wave reflected from a steeply dipping bed strikes the detectors some time interval apart; thus, there will be no decrease in the sensitivity to the waves reflected from the steeply dipping formations.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a portion of the earth showing a seismic detector arranged to receive reflections from beds, a portion of which is horizontal and another portion steeply sloping;

Figure 2 is an elevation on a larger scale than Figure 1 showing a. pair of detectors arranged and connected in accordance with the invention;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic showin of a series of detectors connected to amplifiers, the adjoining pairs of which are each connected to a recording device;

Figure 4 is similar to Figure 3 and illustrates a. series of detectors in which alternate pairs are connected to their respective recording devices; and

Figure 5 is similar to Figure 3 but shows the outputs of the detectors as split, half of each detector output being connected in opposition to one amplifier.

Referring to drawings, Figure 1 shows a vertical section through the flank of an anticline, and it will be noted that if an explosive charge is fired at the point A reflections from points B1, B2, and B: on the substantially horizontal portions of the formations arrive in the vicinity of A at substantially the same time as the reflections from points C1, C2 and C3 on the sloping portions of the formations because the distance AC1 is approximately the same as AB1, etc. A seismic reflection record obtained by means of the detector D and recorded by means of the instrument E often becomes so complicated because of the superimposing of reflections, that it is impossible to distinguish the various reflections.

U. S. Letters Patent have been issued on methods which claim to accomplish the exact opposite of the object of the present invention, that is, to discriminate against waves traveling horizontally and in favor of waves traveling vertically. As an example, the patent to Taylor, No. 1,799,398, relates to the recording of the sum of the outputs of two or more substantially identical seismometers or detectors spaced some distance apart 3 on the surface of the ground. In accordance with the methods of which the Taylor patent is an example, a wave reflected from a gently dipping or horizontal bed, and therefore traveling substantially vertically, impinges on the two or more seismometers at about the same time so that the output of the combination is the same as the output of each multiplied by the number of units. horizontally through the upper or surface formations may impinge on the various seismometers at different times and thus the positive half-cycle of one seismometer output may coincide in time with the negative half-cycle of another seismometer to effect. partial cancellation. If the wave is actually periodic, which is seldom, if ever, the case, and if the detectors orseismometers are spaced exactly half a wave length apart, one should obtain total cancellation of the later phases of the wave. In practice the waves are not accurately periodic so that only partial cancellation can be secured.

To understand the scope of the present invention reference ismade to Figure 2 which shows an enlarged view of the vertical section around the point A of Figure 1. Two seismic detectors l0 and I2 of the electrical type are placed on or directly below the surface of the ground and their outputs are connected in phase opposition to a recording galvanometer I4, either directly or through an amplifier, not shown. An explosive charge isfired at the point A and a wave, the front of which is represented by the line iii-l6, reflected from a substantially horizontal bed such as B1 of Figure 1, strikes both detectors l0 and I2 at substantially the same time. Since the detectors are connected in oppositiontheir net output is zero both for the actual wave front andfor the later quasi-harmonic vibration; on the other hand, a wave having the front l8l8 reflected from a steeply dipping bed such as C1 of Figure 1 strikes the two seismometers some time interval apart, depending upon the speed of propagation and the distance FG. FG is the space interval between detectors Hi and I2 projected onto the direction of propagation of wave Iii-l8. If FG is as large as a quarter wave length, full amplitudeis reached by detector Ill before the wave reaches detector l2. If FG is half a wave length the later quasi-harmonic phases actually reinforce each other. The distance between the detectors I 0 and I2 is notcritical and in practical exploration it may be varied from about 50 feet to about 400 feet,

depending on the order of magnitude of the angles of emergence of the waves expected in any region. A separation of 200 to 300 feet is usually satisfactory for angles of about 10 to 30 degrees, while a separation of 100 to 150 feet may be preferable for steeper angles. Regardless of the magnitude of the distance between detector in and detector I2, so long as reasonable limits are maintained, the system shown in Figure 2 has zero sensitivity to. a wave traveling vertically, and increasingly higher sensitivity as the direction of propagation departs increasingly from the vertical up to the angle where actual reinforcement of the later phases will occur, as has been explained above.

- The essential feature of the invention is the recording of the difference in the output of pairs of detectors having substantially identical sensitivities and spaced some distance apart at thesurface. The detector lll may,- of course, be replaced by two or more detectors connected in series or parallel spaced on the ground in an arbitrary On the other hand, a wave traveling outputs.

pattern, providing detector 12 is similarly replaced; Whenever the word detector is used, it is understood that a group of detectors connected in phase may be substituted. Various combinations of detectors in pairs will give the same result, as will be described hereinafter, provided there is maintained separation in space and simultaneous reversal of polarity of the detector Obviously this result will be obtained by connecting a pair of detectors in series opposition as shown in Figure 2 or by connecting them in parallel with the polarity of one detector reversed. The pairs ofseismometers may be connected in opposition before amplification or their outputs may be amplified and then connected in opposition as will be described.

i Various forms of mixing wellknown in the 7' art, whereby the same detectors are made to operate on more than one galvanometer or other instrument, may be used so long as the final seismogram is a record of the difference in vibration between two points or areas on the surface of the ground spaced apart a substantial fraction of a wave length approximately at right angles to the strike of the formation under investigation.

It will be noted that the system shown in Figure 2 may require double the number of detectors of that ordinarily employed. Figures 3, 4 and 5 disclose detector or recording systems which do not require any appreciable increase in the number of detectors over that customarily used in seismic exploration. Referring to Figure 3, each of a group of substantially equally spaced detectors 20, 22 -34 placed on the ground in line with a. shot point is connected to an amplifier 3B, 38 50. The output of each amplifier is then split in two by means of two impedances Z1. Two other impedances Z2 connected in series with their center point grounded are connected across each galvanometer or' other indicating or recording instrument 52, 54 .64 and the two terminals of the galvanometer are then connected to the output impedances Z1, Z1 of'the two amplifiers. If the impedances Z2 are considerably smaller than the impedances Z1, each galvanometer will record the diiference between the outputsof the two amplifiers and hence the difference in the outputs of the two detectors. Thus, in Figure 3 the galvanometer 52 records the'difierence between the output of detectors 20 and 22; galvanometer 54 records the difierence between the output of detectors 22 and 24, etc. In Figure 4 the arrangement of the detector 20a, 22a 34a and their amplifiers 36a, 38a 50a is the same as in Figure 3. Likewise, the output of each amplifier is split in two by means of two impedances Z1 and each galvanometer 529., 5411 62.1 is connected across'a pair of smaller impedances Z2 in series, the center point of the impedances Zz being grounded. In this case, however, the two terminals of each galvanometer are connected to the output impedances of alternate outputs of detectors 2011 and 2611 can berecorded.

In this manner, by changing the connections by means of simple switching systems not shown in -the drawing one can effectively change the distance on the ground between two detectors operating in opposition without actually shifting the detectors on the ground or moving the cables connecting the detectors to the recording apparatus.

Instead of splitting the output of each amplifier one can as well split the output of each detector and then connect half of each detector output in opposition to one amplifier. Figure 5 shows a portion of a series of detectors 20b, 22b, 24b, and 26b corresponding to detectors 20 26 of Figure 3. The output of each detector is split by means of impedances Z1. Galvanometers 52b, 54b, and 56b are connected directly to amplifiers 36b, 88b and 40b and each of these amplifiers is connectedacross a pair of smaller impedances Z: in

' ence in the outputs of detectors 22b and 24b etc.

One mayalso employ so-called dual detectors, containing two separate output coils, or even entirely separated movements, for the purpose of splitting the output of an instrument; in Fig. 5, one may also replace each impedance Z1 by a series, with their center point grounded. Each complete amplifying unit, and omit the amplifiers 86b, 38b and 40b. Numerous other arrangements of this type can obviously be devised.

It is to be understood that the objective sought by the arrangements shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5 is the same as that described with reference to Figure 2, namely, the elimination of waves refiected from substantially horizontal beds located below the array of detectors so that superimposed reflections from steeply dipping beds will appear clearly in the record.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the invention, as hereinbefore set forth, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, but only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended I claim:

In a seismic exploration system for suppressing reflections from horizontal or gently dipping beds without materially reducing sensitivity to reflections from steeply dipping beds, a source of seismic waves, a plurality of seismic wave detectors disposed along the earth's surface in series alignment with said source, an amplifier connected to receive the output of each detector, an indicating device connected to each pair of detectors, the distances between each of said pairs of detectors connected to one indicating device being the same,, a separate impedance in the connection between said device and each detector to which the device is connected, and a pair of impedances connected across each indicating device, the center point between each of said pairs of impedances being grounded, the value of each impedance insaid pairs being less than the value of each of said impedances connected between an amplifier and an indicating device so that each of said devices will indicate the difference between the outputs of the amplifiers to which it is connected.

ALEXANDER WOLF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 

